Yesterday the Provost came to the Faculty Senate and, for once, she had a great suggestion. We have an online system for curriculum and program changes. It works at a glacial pace. People wait for years for their paperwork to move through the system. Finally, the university decided to ditch the clunky thing and introduce another system next Fall.
In the meantime, the Provost proposed that we form a committee that will work in the summer and move all of the proposals that are currently stuck in the system at an accelerated pace. She even proposed to pay extra money to people who would do this work. I perked up because imagine how great that would be? All the multi-year backlog cleared so that we can start over with a clean slate in the new academic year. Plus, people would get paid to do this work over the summer. What’s not to like? I have a proposal that has languished in the system since 2023. There are 13 (I kid you not) levels of review in there, and my proposal is at level 9 currently.
The Provost needs the Faculty Senate to approve the expedited procedure for this to happen. But guess what? People shouted down this idea. It’s too fast, it’s too unexpected, we need to “have conversations” about it. Most people aren’t on contract in the summer, so there won’t be any conversations. The proposals will not go through.
“I want to make this easier for you guys,” the Provost said bleakly. “I found money to pay the summer stipends. Can’t we agree to do it just this once?”
But no, we can’t.
The entire time I’ve worked here, people have been complaining about the slowpoke system that is supposed to process these proposals. Finally, we get a chance to get it all done. And … they refuse.
Clarissa's Blog 
For something like this, at my university, my colleagues and I would jump at the opportunity to get a stipend and do some extra work.
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